He bested soap opera star William Levy — the season’s breakout star, who drew shrieks of delight yet again Tuesday with his salsa moves (or maybe it was the open shirt) — and Welsh classical singer Katherine Jenkins, who battled through a wardrobe malfunction (a pair of tear-away pants stuck to her foot) and a wrenching back spasm to get to the finals.

Driver and partner Peta Murgatroyd continue the ABC reality show’s rich tradition of pro-athlete winners. The “rough, tough, creampuff” — as host Tom Bergeron called him, for some reason — finished strong, getting raves in particular for his Western-theme freestyle dance Monday night. The judges proclaimed it one of the best in the show’s history.

With just 24 hours to learn their final dances, performed Tuesday, Driver and his competitors didn’t disappoint, and all earned perfect scores.

The football season likely will keep Driver from returning to the show: ABC recently announced that the 15th cycle of “Dancing,” slated for the fall, will be an “All-Star” edition made up of past fan favorites.